I know the frenzy and the mayhem that comes from the imaginary world (sort of) of fantasy football. We find ourselves on the brink of a huge week 8 win and we have a key running back that is going into his matchup "questionable". We find ourselves desensitized with the need for tangible stats to propel us to a win and we forget the real life injury the player has. We almost literally try to will him onto the football field to win "for us". To play hard and gut it out "for us". He could have a broken fibula and we want him to suck it up and get out there because we think we can't afford to lose a game that we don't actually play in. We are not simply losing a game if that player is downgraded to "doubtful" or "out". We are actually losing perspective on what is going on around us in the real world. We are losing a small piece of us that makes us human and connects and unifies us.
So if that is what happens in our small little fantasy sphere, what do you think is taking place in boardrooms and conference rooms in large companies like, let's say, The National Football League?
How much do they see that takes place in the real world and it falls low on the critical meter in favor of the bottom line? How do we retain the force of a star running back that makes our team go despite the fact that he punched the mother of his children in the face? Or the uber-physical D-lineman who is even more physical at home? Multi million and billion dollar companies alike find it easy to ignore what many of us find morally reprehensible. How is that possible? It starts with a little piece at a time.
Hearing the screams of the neighbor downstairs and the sounds of glass shattering...she turns her TV up louder to drown it out. Deep red mark around the eye. Bruises on his upper back. Pre hug flinching. So many signs. Turning the channels because you're tired of hearing about police involved shootings and hate crimes on every newscast. Before you know it, it doesn't exist to you anymore. It's not happening to you so it's not happening. Our hearts grow colder and colder and the light inside of us grows dimmer and dimmer.
I didn't name examples because I didn't need to. This post couldn't be big enough to name them all. if you care, they're right there for you to find. It's easy for many of us to rail against big business and how dare they overlook such an egregious error in judgment. We pound our chests and we carry signs, yelling for change. Know what else we do? We do the same things they do but perhaps on a smaller scale if you can measure morality in anything other than dollars and cents. What have you seen that you have ignored? What did you do that you bury because it's too hard to look at or think about? Clearly, we hold sports figures to a higher standard but we let our children say and do heinous things and explain it away. "Boys will be boys" and other classless cliches like those come to mind.
Before we go deep off the moral edge and vilify companies (that we also, by the way, CONTINUE to support financially without fail) or others that act less than human, before you rail on that social networking site and respond to that news article and give them a piece of your mind, stop! Run to the mirror and think about what you will say, the implant it will leave, and if you can say this without a tinge of hypocrisy in your own reflection. More of us should do this. Wouldn't you say?
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